Moving forward with our Monday pregnancy updates, we left off with Week 4 last time, so…

The first thing you may start noticing at this stage is your breasts. They will start getting bigger. Which for some, is one of the perks of pregnancy. But unfortunately they may also start to feel sore. By the way, this is absolutely the worst time to check for breast cancer, as your breasts will start developing all sorts of bumps that will most likely last until after you are done breast feeding. This is assuming you will breast feed. If not, then the bumps will go away shortly after you give birth. Again, every pregnancy is different. I did not experience the same magnitude of bumps or discomfort with Ducky. Either my body was used to being pregnant, or my hormones were different. Or both. Either way, I wasn’t in as much pain. But unfortunately my breasts didn’t increase in size as much either.

This is the week when a home pregnancy test works best, so if you take enough of them you will be sure without a doubt. Unless you have been pregnant before, in which case, you don’t need a test to tell you what you already know. If you haven’t already, schedule a doctor’s appointment.

During the next few weeks miscarriagebecomes a scary thought for a lot of women. And yes, a quarter of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but I urge you to look into the subject, and speak with your doctor, because those numbers are very skewed. There are circumstances which lead to miscarriage, and you may not have anything to worry about.

Right about now your doctor is going to start with the blood tests. If this is your first pregnancy, it is going to seem like you are a pin cushion. If this is not your first pregnancy, you will be more used to it, and also they will be able to use some of the tests from the first one, so it makes things a little easier. I loved the blood tests because they let me know what is going on with my baby and my body. Through blood tests they found I had mild pre-eclampsia with Munchie (and we were able to make the adjustments necessary to carry full term), and it was through blood tests that I found Ducky drained me of all my nutrients and I had become anemic. Again, good to know so I can take some preventive measures.

At this point, your body is constantly changing (and it will for the next 35 weeks), so just enjoy the feeling the best you can. It may be wonderful and you want to relish. It may be horrible, and in that case, I say this again, it is temporary. It will end, so just focus on the good and think of your bundle of joy/prize at the end.